Secrets from the King
by F8WUZL8
Summary: An alternate ending to Sins of the Father, Merlin and Uther have a little chat that results in more than one secret being told. Oneshot.


**This is my first Merlin fanfiction- I wrote it write after watching "Sins of the Father" and I was aghast at how it ended! So here you go!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. **

**Also, special thanks to the fanfiction "I know, Uther Pendragon, I know", which inspired this little ditty.**

"You have proven yourself to be a trusted ally in the fight against magic."

Merlin's heart beat faster. This was a lie. Uther was wrong-he deserved to die. But Arthur wouldn't have been able to forgive himself if he had killed his father. This Merlin knew. He had to speak out now, while the King was indebted to him and he would not be judged.

"No, my lord. I am not your ally." Merlin said quietly.

Uther was taken aback at this, that the boy would say this in front of him. "What?"

"I know that what I said was a lie. Morgause spoke the truth, no matter what her reasons. And you, you did not swear to the reasons Arthur commanded." Merlin said darkly. "You did not speak the truth either, whether to save your own skin or not believing the truth yourself."

"You dare speak to your king like this?!" Uther said with increasing volume. "I will have you hanged!"

"No, sire!" Merlin grabbed his arm away from the older man, "This is why Camelot is so vulnerable! No one feels safe! If one man makes one observation that _might _be treasonous, you kill him! Are you that afraid of your downfall?"

"I rule this kingdom with a set of rules. If you break the rule, you are punished. Speaking out against your king is punishable by law." Uther hissed.

"I saved your life. Please listen to me." When a surprised Uther said nothing, Merlin continued. "What I said in there was for Arthur's sake and his only. You are lucky your son believes what he's told."

"You show much confidence for such a lowly servant." Uther muttered.

Merlin said nothing.

Uther thought for a moment, then his eyes widened in anger. "You're a sorcerer, aren't you?"

Again, nothing.

"I've changed my mind. You will be burned at the stake."

"Has it ever occurred to you that a real sorcerer could easily escape from your prison? I've done it plenty times myself." Merlin muttered.

Uther unsheathed his sword.

"You know, if you kill me, your son will most likely be dead within the week."

Uther continued walking towards him, menacingly. "And you know this, how?"

"Oh. I don't know. His life is threatened almost every other day. And, of course, I save him every time." Merlin said with a grin.

"You're a sorcerer, you are lying."

"No, really! I'm the one who killed the sorceress impersonating Lady Helen, I've conjured snakes from Valiant's shield so Arthur could kill them,I'm the one who killed the Griffin, I'm the one who cut Edwin in half and took the bug from your ear, I'm the one who stopped the Sidhe sacrificing Arthur for immortality, I got the Great Dragon to make the sword you used to kill Tristian Dubor, I'm the one who killed Tauran, Sigan and countless assassins, AND I've gotten absolutely no recognition for any of this! Do you really think I'm a traitor to Camelot?" Merlin was out of breath by the time he was done with his speech.

"Impossible!" Uther decided.

"No, entirely possible! Watch!" There was a flash of gold in Merlin's eyes as countless glass jars were suddenly knocked off the tables and suspended in the air. The King looked around in amazement. No incantations…

"Please, sire, let me stay and protect Camelot!" Merlin backed onto a chair as Uther's sword was pointed threateningly at him.

"Swear, sorcerer, swear on your life that you will use magic in front of no one! No one can know that you are exempt from the law!"

"I swear on my life I will use magic in front of no one!" Of course, Merlin's fingers slowly crossed behind his back.

"Do you swear to protect Camelot with your life?!"

"I do, sire! Thank you, sire."

Uther slowly removed his sword from Merlin's throat. "You better not be lying, boy. The consequences would be deadly." He thought for a moment. "About what happened with Arthur earlier… you will not tell anyone."

"You are merciful. Sometimes." Merlin observed, feeling much older and wiser than he was. "You really should tell Arthur. You know, the truth."

The King sat down on a chair, obviously exhausted from his fight with his son and the most recent argument with the warlock. He looked at Merlin with pained eyes. "I did not kill Ygraine, if that's what you are thinking."

"What did happen, though, you are afraid to tell him. It must be bad."

Uther frowned. There was no way he would tell this servant anything. He was a servant! Not to mention a sorcerer! But there was something about him… it just seemed easy to talk to him.

Why not? It wasn't as if he would tell anyone. Uther would make sure of that.

"I turned to the sorcerer Nimueh when I learned Ygraine could not bear children. She told me she could "bless" my wife and she would be with child, but it turned out to be a curse. It was only after, when Ygraine was almost gone and I went to Nimueh again, did she tell me the Ancient Law- for every life given untimely, another must be taken untimely." Pain flashed across Uther's face as he spoke, steadily. Merlin listened quietly. "Ygraine died just after giving birth. She died in my arms, holding her son." The room was quiet, the noise from the town was nonexistent.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Merlin bowed his head. "What did you do?"

"I banned magic from the kingdom."

"I understand."

"Good. And you will not tell anyone of this."

"Of course."

Silence reigned for a moment as the two mulled over what had just been spoken. For Merlin, this conversation had been… different. He felt he now understood the King's hatred for magic, even if he didn't agree with the law. And he knew he would not be hanged- for now. That was a relief. He even smiled a little bit- a rare smile, at least after the events of that day.

Uther felt a large weight lifted off his shoulders as well- in a sense he was almost glad he knew the boy was a sorcerer. Better than not knowing and always wondering what was wrong with Arthur's manservant. Besides, it was easy to talk to a stranger.

"If you were given the choice, would you trade Arthur for Ygraine?" Merlin asked the King.

"I don't know." Uther replied truthfully. Merlin sighed.

"Are you going to tell Arthur?"

"He would kill me." Uther muttered. "He wouldn't listen to me. I told him to put the sword down, I told him that I didn't do what I did. And he did not listen to me. But when you, some lowly servant, says the exact same thing, he listens. He cares for you more than he cares for me. Do you understand how hard that is for me? He trusts you more than he trusts his own father."

"I assure you, sire, I would lay down my life for Arthur. He is my friend."

"I know. But I feel like I cannot talk to him. You are just a boy, you wouldn't understand."

"Sire, you really should tell Arthur before this lie gets worse."

Uther looked up. "Boy, what is your name?"

"Merlin."

"I will, Merlin." The King stood and Merlin bowed respectfully. "Thank you."

Uther began to walk away when he remembered something. "And Merlin!"

"Yes, Sire?"

"This didn't happen."

"As you wish."

Uther made his way towards the castle to speak to his son, and passed Gaius on the way. Gaius, surprised, nodded respectfully and entered his chambers wide-eyed.

"Was that Uther walking away from here?!" Gaius asked Merlin.

"Yeah." Merlin said casually.

"Well, what did he want?"

"Oh, nothing. Just to congratulate me for being a trusted ally in the fight against magic." Merlin grinned.

"And he did that?"

"Well we sort of had a lengthy conversation about my magic and Ygraine and Arthur and such, but overall I think it went very well!" Merlin laughed.

Gaius looked like he was about ready to feint. "Um… well, okay then…" He spoke as he recovered from shock. "Well, you have plenty of chores to do! Let's hop to!"

Merlin grinned. It was funny, everything had gone backwards! He had told Uther first, and now he had to worry how Arthur would take his magic!

Well, he thought, at least I'm not being burned at the stake! And he went to work as if it was the most normal day ever. A good day, for once.

**So, MERLIN FANS, what do you think? Like it? Hate it? Please review!!!**

**-F8WUZL8**


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